Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	sin_n	7,176	5	5.3331	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02726	An exhortacion to the Scottes to conforme them selfes to the honorable, expedie[n]t, and godly vnion, betwene the twoo realmes of Englande and Scotlande.	Harrison, James, fl. 1547.	1547 (1547)	STC 12857; ESTC S103818	29,237	128

preceptes Godly examples and sincere educacion as he shall proue a Kyng equal with those whom old histories do moste commend Wherein your graces laude cannot wante beyng so worthie a gouernor of so noble a kyng and muche more if by your pollicie diligēce and circumspeccion he shal at his perfect yeres bee restaured to the whole isle of Britayn wherunto as he is iustely entitled So God the protector of al iust causes shal bryng your attēptes therin to good successe For the furtheraunce whereof I haue declared myne opinion in writyng whiche with humble harte I offre and dedicate vnto your good grace not as a gyfte worthie so greate an estate but yet not vnmete for my purpose ne for the tyme occasion present wherin though I neither perswade my cause so pithihely ne open it so liuely as to so weightie a matter is requisite Yet it maie serue either for a testimonye of myne honest meanyng or minister occasion to better learned men to dilate this argument more largely whereby all warre and hostilitie maie cease and peace and concord take place GOD the verie aucthor of peace euer preserue your grace to the increase of the same and furtheran̄ce of all Godlinesse and graunte to the Kynges Maiestie of England his righteous possession of the whole monarchie of Britayn to thaduauncemēt of Gods glory cōfort to his lieges and confusion of his enemies DIEV ET MON DROVT AN EXHORTACION The cause wher of I treate beeyng so weightie the discourse so large my witte and cunnyng so small to set it furthe I might well be discoraged to entre so greate a ground but that loue to my countrey on the one side and desire of concorde and quietnes on the other side moue me to speake hopyng that the honesty of the matter shall supplie the rude handelyng and the plain veritie to stand in stede of eloquēce and cunnyng For like as in an euill cause muche arte and conueyaunce must be vsed afore it can appere good euen so in a cause true honest and righteous there needeth no subtile perswasions or finesse of woordes but how muche the plainer so muche the better and how muche the more eloquent somuch the more suspicious For truthe is sufficient of her selfe and needeth no colours no more then natural beawty nedeth of paintyng Taking this for my foundacion I maie the more boldely procede without feare of offence seeyng my cause is suche as all good men will further all wise men fauor and all Godly men defende as that whiche beeyng enbraced shall doo good to many and hurt to none and beyng neglected shall hurte a multitude and auayle no man tendyng no lesse to the commoditie of the aduersaries then of the fauorers Thus the ground beyng so true the occasion so honest and the querell so righteous there wanteth nothyng but one that could set the same furth accordyngly And seeyng suche as canne best liste not and that ought moste will not and that wold faynest dare not take this vniuersall cause in hande I beyng simple vnlearned and most barayn of all orators arte and perswasiō yet armed with truth moued with honestie and prouoked by loue towardes God and my countrey as Dauid against Golias entre the felde against the mightie Giauntes enemies of concorde and vnitie desiryng all my countreymen of Scottande whose cause I now specially entreat to geue me pacient hearyng whilest I suade theim to that whiche shal be acceptable to God commendable to the world ioyfull to their frēdes hatefull to their enemies profitable to all parties and to none so muche as to themselfes TO groūd my cause vpō truth as I promised I will sette my foundacion vpon the infallible truthe of Gods woorde takyng this texte for my purpose Omne regnū in se diuisum desolabitur that is to saie euery kyngdō diuided in it self shal be brought to desolacion If this sentence bee well marked and the persone of the speaker considered I shall not nede to bee long in perswadyng you to beleue it The wordes be true for he that spake them cannot lye whiche is Christ himself the aucthor of al truth and veritie But though Christ had not spokē them let vs se whether comon reason dooth not affirme theim and the experience of all realmes and countreis in al tymes and ages hath not approued theim And to fet our examples not out of straunge countreys loke well vpon the Chronicles of this island of Britain and consider the estate thereof from the beginnyng and compare theim with the histories of other nacions and you shal not lightly heare or read of any one countrey sithe the worldes creacion more inuaded wasted and destroyed then this I stande ne of people more often ne more curelly spoyled exiled or afflicted then the inhabiters thereof and all by diuision and discord the sedes wherof beyng laied in by the deuil as pouder vnder a walle after it once toke fire did so terribly shake the foūdaciōs of their common weale that it riued a sunder their Kyngdome and monarchie and diuidyng it into partes broughte the whole at last to ruyne and desolacion which hath not been fully recouered to this daie nor in my iud gement like to be so long as the islande is diuided into two partes and knowen by two names that is to saie England Scotlande and vnder twoo seuerall gouernours The cause whereof though it maie chiefly bee ascribed to the iuste vengeaunce of God prouoked with the synnes of the people as Gildas witnesseth yet is it clere that the onely meane thereof was discord and diuision emong the Insulanes wherby it came to passe whylest euery one striued all were ouer comen and made an easy prey to straūge nacions For althoughe outward enemies vpon tiranny and conquest as the Romayns or els expulsed from their countreys and driuen to seke newe dwellynges as the Pictes or allured with the fertilitie of the soyle as the Scottes inhabityng the north partes of Irelande inuaded this islande Yet could those people neuer haue kepte quiete possession ne reigne so long as thei did but through diuision and discord emong the Britaynes whiche beeyng stiffe necked against God and ingrate eche to other as the said aucthor writeth by their demerites wer not onely ouercome with outwarde inuasions but finally lost their name and Empire whereby the inhabitauntes beyng mixt with straungers haue euer sithe been vexed with intestine warres and ciuill discorde to the irremediable ruine and desolacion therof vntil it shal please Gods goodnesse to haue mercie on the people and to reduce the islande to the firste estate to one Monarchy vnder one kyng and gouernor as it was in the Britons tyme. But if God of his goodnesse without our desertes hath in these latter daies prouided that blessed meane and remedy for the glorie of his name and for our wealth and commoditie and wee for our parte either of stubburnesse will not or of wilfulnesse liste not thankefully to receiue